Way Out In The Water
by ginevra85
Summary: This is the new series of missing moments from Voyage that I promised some time ago. I hope you'll enjoy them. Movieverse.
1. Prologue

A.N.: I'm back! Did you miss me? This is part 7 of my Narnia stories, centered mostly around Lucy and Edmund. As usual, you don't need to read the others to understand this, but it would really make me happy if you did :) This series of vignettes takes place during VotDT and it's movieverse. Enjoy

-N-A-R-N-I-A-

Chapter 1: Prologue

"I'm bored."

Lucy sighed as her brother, not for the first time, expressed his displeasure at their current condition. She looked up from Peter's letter at him, sprawled at her feet on the bed, in the small room she occupied at their aunt's house, and relaxed back against her pillow.

"Why don't you go play with Eustace?"

She smirked at Edmund's outraged gasp.

"So beautiful and so cruel, Lu!" He exclaimed.

"So handsome and whiny, Ed!" She rebuked. Edmund snorted and let her get back to her letter, even if she had already read it at least six times. Correspondence with their siblings was not as frequent as they would like for it to be, and they treasured the few letters they did receive.

"When do you think we'll go back?" He asked, when she finally put the letter down. Lucy shrugged and scooted closer to him.

"I don't know. Only Aslan knows when we'll be needed." She started playing with a lock of his dark hair, humming softly to herself. Edmund made a noncommittal sound.

"I suppose you're right. After all, you're the wisest, between us."

"Oh, shut it!" Edmund laughed and poked one of her red cheeks.

-N-A-R-N-I-A-

"Are you still a good Narnian?" Lucy asked him after a while. Edmund was startled out of his light slumber.

"I believe I am." He answered groggily.

"Then I'm sure he'll call us back soon." She said gently. "You'll see. After all, Aslan said Narnia still needs us."

Before Edmund could reply, the door to Lucy's room sprang open, and their cousin Eustace stepped in front of them, hands on his hips and sneer firmly in place.

"Are you playing that stupid make-believe game _again_? Aren't you too old to play idiotic games?"

Edmund and Lucy barely acknowledged his presence, looking at each other mischievously.

"Some little children" they said in unison, "just don't know when to stop pretending!"

Eustace spluttered, as they dissolved into breathless giggles.


	2. On Deck

_-10__th__ year of The Four's reign-_

"_Why the long face, my Lord?"_

_Edmund brought his mind back to the feast he was supposed to be attending, smiling to assuage his younger sister's worry. He took a moment to look at her, eyes shining in the light of the torches, her auburn hair brilliant against her white dress._

"_You look wonderful tonight, my Lady."_

_Her brilliant smile was finally back, paired with a fierce blush. The visiting ladies, all humans and not used to the Royals' affectionate nature, giggled and whispered amongst them, trying to attract Edmund's attention. He wasn't Peter, of course, but he would do, since the High King was away on a campaign in the North. So tactless, a war when there were people visiting! These Narnians were quite the savages, for sure… Was that a porcupine, sitting at the same table as the humans?_

"_I know you don't like feasting, when Peter and Susan are away," Lucy spoke softly in his ear, "but you should probably look a little less murderous, or our _esteemedguests_ will think we can't function without our older siblings."_

_Edmund looked at her, startled by her cunning observation of their so-called guests._

"_That is not a good way to be seen, politically speaking. Is it, Brother?"_

"_No, Sister. It certainly isn't."_

"_It's decided, then. You'll be opening the dances with me."_

"What_?" Edmund hissed, but Lucy was already on her feet, ordering for the table to be moved to make room on the floor for the dancing._

_He took her hand and led her to the two small thrones that had been brought in the room, while their people took care of the dinner table. The rest of the dinner party mingled near the walls._

"_Why do you want me to dance?" He hissed urgently, at the same time observing how their foreign guests behaved around their subjects. One of the visiting ladies took a step back, alarmed, when Lady Mahe walked in front of her. The Lady Mahe, a Cheetah, looked up at Edmund and smirked at the reaction. He was ready to swear she had just winked at him._

"_Edmund, you _have_ to." Lucy's voice reminded him what he was complaining about. "Peter is fighting in the North-"_

"_I should be there."_

"_I know, so should I. And Susan is in Archenland, to sign the revised trade agreements. We're the only two here, we have to open the dances."_

"_But-"_

"_There is no _but_." She insisted. "The Royal Couple opens the dances. You know the rules of etiquette. You're the one who taught them to me. Since Peter and Susan aren't here this time, and neither of us is married," the both of them shuddered at the mere thought, "it's up to us to offer the first dance of the evening to Aslan."_

_The name of the Lion was enough to sweep the embarrassment of being the centre of attention away from Edmund's mind. He jumped to his feet and bowed to his sister with a flourish._

"_Very well then, Sister mine. Let's dance!"_

"_Oh, Edmund…"_

"…listening to me Edmund? Edmund!"

Said boy was jolted back to the present, when his sister grabbed his shoulder and shook it, vigorously.

"Aslan's mane, Lucy! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I've been calling your name for hours-"

"So dramatic…"

"-and you kept looking at something that's not here. Where was your mind?"

"At a feast, at Cair Paravel." He answered. "You were wearing a white dress, with gold embroidery around the neckline, I think. Lady Mahe was terrorizing the visiting ladies on purpose."

Lucy gasped delightedly, guessing immediately what he had been remembering.

"You had that wonderful black silk shirt on, with the silver buttons, that makes you look so dark and handsome. Our clothes kind of matched, now that I think about it. You were pouting because Peter didn't take you with him to fight the Giants in the North."

"It _was_ my place. At his side and covering his back, like always."

"I know. Like mine was covering yours. Always will be. It wasn't so bad, though, being the only ones at Cair Paravel. We had fun, didn't we?"

"We certainly did. I miss it. I miss everything about the old days. How I long for the days when we were the Lord and Lady at the Cair."

"Our people knew and loved us. And we them. My dresses weren't itchy like the ones in England and I didn't look silly." She straightened the hem of her jerkin with a grimace, "Like I do now. I looked like a Queen, not a boy."

"You always look beautiful." Edmund said with a smile, that became a frown at Lucy's sceptical look.

"I remember the feast you were talking about, as if it were yesterday. The guests were rude to our subjects and you almost sent them packing." They both chuckled. Then Lucy gasped, delighted by something that suddenly occurred to her. "How could I forget? We opened the dances together!"

Edmund groaned, whilst she ran to the centre of the deck, where there was the most free space, and assumed the opening position of the dance they had chosen that night. She looked expectantly at Edmund, grinning unwaveringly.

"Come on, then!"

Edmund smiled at her enthusiasm and stood up from the ropes he had been using as a stool. He used the time it took him to reach her to observe how, even without her pretty dresses and with Caspian's too large clothes on, she was still one of the two most beautiful women he had ever seen.

"You're radiant, Valiant Queen." He said, bowing low and taking her hand in his.

"You're a flatterer, Just King. Thank you, anyway." And she followed him in the first steps of the ancient Narnian dance.

Not even one minute had passed, that they'd already attracted the attention of the majority of the crew. A Faun heard the melody they were both humming and picked it up on his flute, followed by two more, giving them real music to dance to. Lucy offered them a quick grin and went back to giving her full attention to her brother.

From his position, at the base of the stairs, Caspian observed the King and Queen of Old, as they moved effortlessly, with a grace in their limbs that should not have been possible for their not quite adolescent bodies. He could almost see them in their twenties, charming and attractive, coveted and envied by the humans who visited the Court and beloved by their subjects, like he knew he wasn't, yet. For a moment he envied them, too: their assuredness in who and what they were, their devotion to each other and to Narnia, the incomparable support that a sibling's love could offer, the pride in Edmund's eyes and the hope shining in Lucy's. He was ashamed of such thoughts – they were unacceptable for a King of Narnia, he knew. He was lonely, though, and sometimes loneliness sits on a heart heavier than shame. He couldn't be happier to have his friends back, but they were the irrefutable evidence of what he had not: a family.

All around him, Caspian observed his men delight in the young monarchs' dance. Both the old and the new Narnians enjoyed this taste of legend Edmund and Lucy were offering. The only unsatisfied face among them seemed to be Eustace's, who was observing his cousins with mistrust and scorn. He really was unaware of the insurmountable honour he was being offered – a King and Queen of legend were dancing for them. Could anybody really be so blind as not to see the splendour they exuded with their mere presence?

IOIOIOIOIOIO

With each step – in front of Edmund's incredulous eyes – Lucy was going back to being the young woman he remembered from Before.

"Sister, my eyes are showing me something that can't be real…" He panted, twirling her around.

"It's not your eyes, Ed!" Lucy laughed. "Being back in Narnia is bringing back your memories in a clearer way. I see you as you are, but at the same time as you were and as you will be."

"You don't sound very alarmed."

"Why would I be? It's Aslan's gift! And I cherish it. I missed you, Edmund. You're more yourself now than you've been in a year."

The music hit a crescendo, almost at its end, and Lucy laughed with abandon.

"Wrong will be right," she declaimed, "when Aslan comes in sight."

"At the sound of his roar," Edmund continued, launching her in the air, "sorrows will be no more."

Around them, everyone from the crew, to the Captain, to Caspian, felt their hearts soar at the words. Even Eustace could feel his nausea abate.

"When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death." She panted.

"And when he shakes his mane," he concluded, falling on his knees, "we shall have spring again."

The song finished and there was a moment of complete silence and stillness. Then Lucy drew her brother to herself and Edmund hid his face in her shirt, overwhelmed, catching his breath against her belly. Everybody started cheering. Edmund got back to his feet and took his sister's hand, guiding her in front of him with a gallant bow. She smiled at the crew and curtsied prettily.

"That was outstanding, Your Majesties." Reepicheep looked overwhelmed by the privilege he had been conceded.

"I can teach you if you want, Reep!" Laughed Edmund, leaning on Caspian's shoulder.

"Oh no, my Liege. I'm afraid my feet were not made for such things. Maybe King Caspian would do better."

"Oh, no…" Caspian took two steps back. "I really can't dance. I'm hopeless, I promise you."

"So was Peter. But he learnt." Edmund wanted to laugh until he fell, at Caspian's horrified face. Lucy was positively vibrating with anticipation.

"Please, Your Majesty." She cajoled, knowing that he couldn't say no to her. "I will teach you. After all, the Royal Couple has to open the dances."

"I'm not married. So, there: there's no need for me to learn."

"But you will be, you know. You need to know what you're doing. Ask Edmund!"

Caspian turned towards Edmund, his eyes pleading with him to save him from the horror of dancing. The other boy smirked and couldn't help but add:

"She's right. You definitely need to."

He left them to squabble for a moment, while he went in search of a sword. Caspian had Rhindon with him. One of the soldiers saw him and handed over his own. Edmund bowed his head in thanks.

"You know what, Lucy?" He interrupted their light-hearted argument. "Maybe Caspian would rather dance with me."

They looked at him as if he'd just grown another head. Then they saw the sword in his hand and smiled. Caspian unsheathed Rhindon, and Reepicheep gasped in anticipation.

"How good have you become, I wonder, Your Grace?" Edmund taunted.

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we, Your Majesty?" Caspian laughed, saluting him.

Lucy sighed and accepted a glass of water from a sailor, looking for a comfortable place to sit down on and reminisce of the old days, when Edmund taught her how to hold a sword for the first time, while she waited for them to exhaust themselves. It was going to be a long wait.


	3. On Felimath

"_Edmund! EDMUND!"_

Edmund woke up inside a dank cell, with Lucy's anguished screams still echoing in his ears, making his heart ache. He _had_ to find her. She was the most precious person in his life, he was certainly not going to let her get sold by some people without scruples. Peter and Susan would have his head, when they heard. He tried to sit straighter and groaned, a sharp spike of pain going through his head.

"This would never have happened to Peter." He mumbled to himself, fighting against the sudden nausea. He turned to his left, to see Caspian trying to kick down the door… The iron door.

"Are you alright?" Caspian asked, sparing him a glance and going back to his kicking. Edmund sighed, standing up. It was probably time to start using his brain to get them out of there and back at Lucy's side.

"Yeah."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

When he saw his sister, safe and at first look uninjured, fight her way towards him using a book as a weapon and with Reepicheep at her side, his heart skipped a beat. Wonderful, impossible Lucy, with her infinite courage and her indomitable spirit. Just the thought of what could have happened to her, the possibility of her being in chains forever, made his blood boil. A snarl left his lips and he redoubled his efforts to reach her.

"Edmund!" She exclaimed, once she was able to see him. And her tone was so different from the last time he had heard her speak his name, her joy and relief so clear he could almost taste them in the air.

Finally, Edmund cut down the last man standing between himself and his beloved sister. He barely had time to drop his sword, before Lucy was launching herself at him, her impromptu weapon forgotten on the ground. She was crying hysterically, repeating his name as if she had thought she'd never see him again, with her face hidden in the crook of his neck. Edmund could feel her sobs shaking her slight frame – and his – and he noticed that he was saying her name, too. Like a prayer. Like the sound of it was the only thing keeping his own tears at bay. He saw Caspian making his way towards them, alarmed by Lucy's distress, but he shook his head – he needed a moment alone with his sister.

"Lucy. Lucy, look at me." He held her face in his hands, touching their foreheads together. "You're alright now. We're safe. Please, stop crying."

Edmund used the back of his hands and the sleeves of his shirt to dry her cheeks, kissing her closed eyelids and her wet eyelashes. He smiled when he felt Lucy relax against him.

"See? All better. No more tears now, please, I forgot my handkerchief in the pocket of my trousers." Lucy laughed wetly.

"You certainly made do." She circled her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. They stood still for a long moment – Lucy listening to the sound of Edmund's heartbeats and Edmund stroking his fingers through her hair.

"For a second there, I thought I'd never see you again." She whispered fearfully.

"Have I ever left you, after that first time?" He asked, resting his forehead against hers again. "Have I ever not found my way back to you?"

She shook her head vehemently, clutching his sleeves in her hands. Edmund sighed and pulled her back against himself.

"Nothing can ever keep us apart." He promised. "Nothing! I will always find you, no matter what. There isn't a force strong enough in this world – in any world – that could ever take you away from me. Do you understand?"

Lucy sighed at his words and Edmund felt all the remaining tension leave her body at once. He sat down on a nearby step and gathered her on his lap. His valiant sister… only the thought of being alone could frighten her.

A short time later, he walked with her to a water fountain and silently helped her wash her hands and her face. Lucy knew that taking care of her helped him get back his balance, so she happily let him. Edmund was never so physically affectionate in England; Narnia brought out in him all those manners that he had in the old days and lost when they went back. The Edmund that was in front of her in that moment was the one she'd missed for more than a year. She was startled by the feeling of rough fabric on her skin. Where did he find a towel? Behind her brother, she saw an old woman watch them with sad eyes and a kind smile, that she returned gratefully.

"Thank you." She whispered, as Edmund washed his own face.

"You're most welcome, Your Grace."

"You know who we are?"

The woman smiled wistfully.

"I grew up with stories about you and your siblings, Your Grace, and the days that were… I never dared hope that I would meet you. But here you are, before my very eyes. Aslan be blessed for this gift He has granted this old woman."

"And His blessing be upon you now and always, Lady, for the kindness you've shown us." Edmund answered, returning her towel. "If you have any request that is in our power to grant, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, King Edmund, but there is nothing in this world I desire. My only sister is gone, swallowed by the Mist, and now I'm alone."

Lucy gasped and grabbed the old woman's hands in her own. Edmund gripped her shoulder, horrified at the mere thought of losing one of his siblings.

"We're sailing East, Lady. If she's still alive, we'll find her."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Later, back on the Dawn Treader, Edmund handed Lucy needle and thread ("There's a tear in the back of your jerkin.") and sat down close by, to work on cleaning his new sword. He looked happier than he'd been in a while, Lucy thought, humming a song under her breath. Edmund picked up the melody and joined her. They sat there for a long time, each working on their task, before they were interrupted by any company. Reepicheep joined them to observe Edmund's progress. He sat quietly with them for a minute, but there's only so much silence a Talking Mouse can take.

"Queen Lucy, will you tell us a story?"

Lucy looked up from her work and exchanged a surprised look with Edmund, who shrugged as if to say, "it's not a bad idea".

"What kind of story would you like to hear, sir?"

"Whatever kind Your Grace feels like telling."

Lucy was silent for a long moment, thinking about what kind of story the Mouse could appreciate. She wasn't good at telling stories about adventures and battles – not like Peter, or even Edmund – and she didn't think he'd be pleased by a story about romance. She looked up to see Reepicheep and Edmund, sitting next to each other, looking expectantly at her, and she knew what story she wanted to tell. She wasn't sure, though, if her brother would want her to tell it.

Edmund seemed to read the indecision on her face. As he turned to look at their companion for a second, comprehension seemed to dawn slowly in his eyes. He looked stricken for a beat, then his features relaxed and he smiled acceptingly at her, nodding almost imperceptibly. Lucy turned to address the Mouse:

"Do you know how the Mice got their Voice, good friend?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Did you know I was there?"

"Yes, of- oh! You were!"

Lucy smiled at his unfailing eagerness.

"Would you like me to tell you the story of how Aslan beat death?"

"Oh, please Your Majesty, would you?"

Lucy used her teeth to cut the thread from her mended jerkin and wore it again, taking the time to remember every detail of that painful night, while she buckled her belts. Edmund kept working on his sword, silently.

"As you know, we come from a world so very different from this, where there is no magic and the animals don't speak, inhabited mostly by sons of Adam and daughters of Eve." Reepicheep shuddered at the thought. It was probably much too similar to how the Telmarines' reign had been, in his mind. "I was the first to find Narnia. The first time I came here, I met a kind Faun-"

"Mr Tumnus?"

"Yes! My dear Tumnus… He told me everything I needed to know about the White Witch and her treachery, of how she appeared so charming and lovable to trick you and then bend you to her will. If you didn't obey, she'd kill you."

"Horrible monster." Muttered the Mouse. Edmund nodded grimly.

"You have no idea." He murmured.

"When Edmund followed me, though, there wasn't anybody to tell him not to trust her. You have to understand: in our world, right now, there's a great war going on. It's been going on for a long time. The food is rationed, spirits are low, children are separated from their families." She was silent for a moment, thinking about their family back home. Reepicheep's voice woke her from her musings,

"A war? For more than 1300 years?"

"Oh, no!" Laughed Edmund and Lucy. "Gosh, of course not. What has been 1300 years in Narnia, was only about two years for us."

"_Two years_?"

"Yes. And when we left Narnia, the first time, we went from being 23 and 25 back to being 8 and 10 again. Fifteen years of our reign meant less than a minute there."

"What wondrous things I'm learning…" Reepicheep breathed. "I'm mystified."

"Don't worry, Reep." Intervened Edmund. "I still haven't come to terms with it. And I've lived it."

"May I go back to the story, now?"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! Please, do continue."

Edmund sighed, less enthusiastic about what was to come, but he nodded for her to go on.

"As I was saying, Edmund didn't know about the Witch's deceitful nature and she offered him something he thought he couldn't have back home."

"What?" Asked the Mouse.

"Sweets." Answered Edmund sullenly.

"_Affection_." Countered Lucy adamantly. "And understanding." Edmund scoffed. "Shut up, Edmund! You know I'm right. Plus, it's my story, and I'll tell it how it pleases me. That is, if the both of you will ever shut up long enough for me to be able to tell it!"

"Sorry, Lu." "I'm sorry, Queen Lucy."

"Very well, then. The Witch tricked Edmund into betraying his family, making him a traitor, and thus hers to do as she pleased. And she wanted him dead. But Aslan loved him so much and so well, that He couldn't let him be killed and He decided to sacrifice Himself in Edmund's place. He left the Narnian encampment the night before the Battle of Beruna, as it would be called for ages to come, and made His way to the Stone Table to die. Of course, Susan and I followed Him. We couldn't leave Him out there, all alone. We hid and we saw her and her minions bind Him and muzzle Him and cut His mane. They taunted Him and she told Him, His death would be in vain, for she would kill Edmund anyway."

"Why?" Interrupted the Mouse, unable to keep silent. "Why would He let Himself be treated in such a shameful way? He could have slain them all, easily!"

"That is not the meaning of Sacrifice, my dear Mouse. Sacrifice isn't heroic, not in the way that you appreciate. It's painful, and thankless, and lonely, and so sad. It doesn't need thanks, though, and it's the farthest thing from shame and dishonour that you could possibly imagine. Sacrifice is the purest form of Love, Reep. And I swear to you, I've never seen anything more splendid than when Aslan died to save my brother. We kept vigil all night long and while we cried over the Great Lion's lifeless body, we heard tiny feet climb the Table and Him, too. Susan was scared, because in our world mice aren't as nice as here, but I saw that they were nibbling away at the ropes that were still binding Him. You know what happened next: Aslan beat death and then He defeated the Witch, too. As for the Mice, because of their kindness and the love they showed, Aslan granted them to be counted among the Talking Animals. And so it's been, from the first year of our reign, until the end of the world."

They were silent for a long time, each of them thinking about the meaning of Lucy's words. Finally Reepicheep, sensing their need for a bit of privacy, thanked Lucy profusely and went back to his duties.

"Are you alright?" She whispered to her brother, but he didn't have time to answer, because Caspian's voice came from behind them:

"That was quite the tale, Lucy."

"I thought you already knew it."

"I did, but you have to admit it's very different, hearing it from somebody who was there."

"Quite." Edmund said softly.

"We were Blessed." Lucy answered, speaking to Caspian but looking at Edmund. "What's more, we are loved and we are fully aware of it. Nobody more than Edmund." At her words, her brother looked up sharply. "We all had our parts to play: without my curiosity, we wouldn't be here; without Susan's instincts, we wouldn't have stayed; without Peter's bravery, we wouldn't have survived. As for Edmund, if he'd never betrayed us, Aslan wouldn't have defeated death. We were called here with a purpose and we fulfilled it. We suffered for it, we still do – Edmund's guilt never gives him peace, even now, and I feel so powerless, because he doesn't see what absolute treasure he is in our eyes. That's the meaning of Sacrifice, too, though. We all had to sacrifice something for Narnia and we never regretted it. Not for a second. On the contrary, we would have sacrificed much more."

While Caspian looked on, a little stunned, Edmund finally put the sword aside and went to sit at Lucy's feet, laying his head on her lap. She used one hand to caress his hair and put the other on his cheek. Edmund grasped it in one of his own and brought it to his mouth, to leave a kiss against her palm. Lucy smiled gently at the familiar gesture. They had spent many hours in that same position, during their lives, comforting and taking strength from each other.

The three monarchs lingered in silence, waiting for the sun to rise high in the sky.


	4. On The Islands Part 1

A.N.: Thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed (I'm going to answer in a sec). This chapter, as always, is dedicated to Jen, who is wonderful and leaves me the best comments ever! If any of you want to talk to me about my Narnia fics or anything else really, come find me on tumblr (thispagealone). Enjoy the chapter, there's only two after it :D

IOIOIOIOIO

_On Coriakin's Island._

"Will she ever _not_ be the one who ends up in trouble?"

Caspian tried to hold in his laughter – it wasn't proper to be amused in the face of Edmund's worry. His friend kept muttering under his breath, while he donned his light armour and walked as fast as he could, all at the same time.

"Does she do this often? End up in some kind of danger, I mean."

"Constantly!" He lamented. "She's going to give me grey hair… I'm too young to have grey hair, Caspian!"

Just behind them, Drinian faked coughing to hide a chuckle. Gael didn't bother – she giggled out loud. Edmund sent a wink her way, his eyes sparkling despite the concern for his sister's wellbeing.

IOIOIOIOIO

When Lucy was finally in front of them, safe and sound, Caspian expected Edmund and Lucy to behave like they did on Felimath, flinging themselves at each other quite frantically. But Edmund only said "Lucy!", quite exasperatedly (he'd noticed they tended to do that often, call each other's name with various degrees of emotion) and gave her a stern look. Lucy, for her part, looked sheepish. While they walked through the Magician's mansion, he could hear their whispered conversation.

"What happened this time?"

"The Dufflepuds kidnapped me."

"They _kidnapped_ you." Edmund deadpanned. "And you couldn't have possibly escaped such fearsome creatures, could you?"

"Yes, well, they needed my help. They can't read."

"You could have found a way to let me know you were ok. When I found your dagger I feared the worst."

"I'm really sorry, Brother…"

"One day, you will be the death of me. You'll see!" He hissed. Lucy grabbed his arm to make him stop walking, then used her hand on the back of his neck to lower his head. She kissed his cheek, brushing his hair away from his forehead.

"Possibly." She smirked. "But only if I'm coming with you."

"Don't joke about things like that." He mouthed against her temple.

"I'm not. I don't want to be in a world where you aren't alive."

He stood there, stunned, while Lucy hastened to rejoin Coriakin. Caspian looked back and nodded for Edmund to hurry, too.

IOIOIOIOIO

Later that night, during the storm, she woke up abruptly from her dream that wasn't a dream and went to the one person who could assuage her guilt. The only one who wouldn't make light of her insecurities. She found him already awake, sitting up in his hammock, with a sword pointed at nothing.

"Edmund." She whispered urgently. Her brother turned to face her, startled.

"Oh, Lucy." He sighed, looking at her shrewdly. Caspian came awake abruptly, a broken sound on his lips.

"I can't sleep." She confessed, somewhat truthfully.

"Let me guess. Bad dreams." Lucy and Caspian nodded slowly. "So either we're all going mad… Or something is playing with our minds."

He lied back against his pillow, his hand still tense around the hilt of his sword. Lucy grabbed the sheath first, then she pried his fingers from the weapon, one by one, whilst Edmund watched her wordlessly. She sheathed the sword and put it on the floor under the hammock, then stood there hesitantly.

"Come on, then." He said, raising his quilt and making room for her to lie next to him. Lucy looked at him, unconvinced.

"I don't think we'll fit."

"I think I'm going to have to scrape you from the floorboards." Muttered Caspian.

"Of course you will. Peter and I did this all the time, during our campaigns. And we were bigger than you are now."

"Your illogical aging gives me a headache." Mumbled Caspian.

"Go to sleep, Caspian." Said Lucy gently.

"Alright. I'm going. Don't tell Trumpkin I was up late, or he'll beat me up with my own arms." He grumbled, incoherently. Edmund and Lucy looked at each other with wide eyes, then muffled their incredulous laughter in their sleeves.

IOIOIOIOIO

Eventually, Lucy found her way on the hammock, nestled in the circle of her brother's arms, her head tucked snugly under his chin.

"Would you look at that – we actually fit in this minuscule thing!" Edmund snorted at her surprised tone. "We really are smaller than I thought."

"Oh yes, veritable pipsqueaks. Will you tell me, now? What's troubling you so?"

"I think I almost erased myself from existence." She confessed.

"_What_?" Edmund hissed.

"I just wanted to be as beautiful as Susan." She clamped her hand on Edmund's mouth, when he opened it to interrupt. "So I stole a spell from the Magician's book. But it didn't make me as pretty as Susan, it made me _Susan_. I saw you and Peter, we were at a party and you didn't have a younger sister whose name was Lucy. You didn't know me and you didn't know Narnia. I panicked and, next thing I know, I'm back in Caspian's cabin and Aslan is in the mirror. He was so very disappointed… Then I woke up and I needed to see you."

"Why?" He whispered after a long pause. "You've never given much weight to such frivolous matters. You've always known you're so much more than a pretty face. So is Su, even if she sometimes forgets it."

"I don't know… Some days it's too hard being a little girl again. Especially here. And hearing Caspian talking about Su as if she were the most beautiful woman in the whole world- but it's not just him! Everyone, since I can remember, has always sung the praises of her beauty in front of me. As if the fact that I'm not interested in such silly affairs means I'm not a woman, too. With feelings and a vanity of my own. I know I'm not as pretty as she is, but it hurts just the same."

"First of all," Edmund touched the tips of his fingers under her chin, to bring her gaze up to meet his. "You are every bit as beautiful as our sister. I swear it to you. You know I don't lie to you. Not about the things that matter. Lucy, you were tempted. You could have said yes and erased not only yourself, but Susan, too. Because you had her body and her name, but the mind inside was still yours." Lucy gasped, realising the implications of what had almost happened.

"Oh, Edmund…"

"But you didn't!" He insisted. "You raised above your weakness, as you always have, and you didn't succumb to temptation. You passed your test. And now you have to promise me something."

"Anything." She choked, trying to prevent her tears from falling.

"When the time comes, and it's my turn to be tested… Lucy, I'm afraid of what's in my heart right now. I can almost taste the darkness in the back of my mouth… Lulu, you were always the stronger. Don't let me do something I'll regret for the rest of my life."

"Ed…"

"Promise me, Lu!"

She wound her arms around his waist, hiding her tear streaked face in his chest.

"I promise." She said softly. He used one hand to stroke down her back, waiting for her breathing to deepen and for her to fall asleep. Then Edmund sank his nose in her hair and finally fell asleep himself, soothed by the familiar scent of _family_ and _safety_.

IOIOIOIOIO

_On Dragon Island._

Climbing out of the Gold Cave was not as easy as lowering herself into it, for Lucy. It had to be torture on Edmund and Caspian, still half in the thrall of their temptations. She could hear them breathing heavily behind her, more exhausted than they should have been. She sighed, relieved, when her feet touched solid ground and she heard her two companions do the same. Then Edmund whispered a strangled "Lucy…" and promptly collapsed on a boulder, his head in his hands and harsh gasps making his chest heave.

"Damn it!" Said Lucy, with feeling, making Caspian's jaw drop at the profanity coming out of the usually sweet girl. She made her way to her brother's side, prying his hands from in front of his eyes. He didn't seem to be at all inclined to look at her, though, because he took her gesture as an excuse to hide his face in the fabric at her hip. He barely averted smashing his nose into her diamond bottle. _That_ would have hurt…

"Come now, Ed." She soothed, sinking her fingers in his hair. "None of that. It's over. You both made it to the other side." She looked up to see Caspian's stricken expression. "I know what you were thinking about, that you only want us to be free and in charge of our own lives. It's not how it works, though, I'm afraid. You know nothing material can make the journey back, or we'd still have our crowns at home, wouldn't we?"

"I know…"

"And Edmund Pevensie!" Both boys straightened at her tone of voice. "You've never had a greedy bone in your body-"

"It's not greed, Lucy. My darkest weakness has always been power." He interrupted gravely. "You know, since the Witch…"

"Would you really _buy_ us a kingdom, though?" She asked softly. "Would you ever want to be king over some place that isn't Narnia?"

"No… Of course not."

"And you!" She whirled on Caspian. The boys winced. "You will never call my Royal Brother a _child_, ever again! Are we clear?"

"Yes, Milady." Caspian lowered his eyes, quite ashamed.

"Don't forget who we are. We may look like children to you, but in this bodies we're also 25 and 23, and thus older than you. If not in appearance, certainly in experiences. We commanded armies and fleets to battle and victory before you were even born, you'd better try and remember it."

"I'm truly sorry… I really didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't. Like Edmund didn't really mean to call you a 'spineless sap'." She said with a smirk, making them snort. She grabbed Edmund's arm, making him stand up and in front of Caspian. "Look at each other!" They did, albeit hesitantly. "No. Look at each other's eyes. You look so much alike… Caspian, he looks more your brother than he does mine, at times. Definitely more than Peter's. And I would trust you with his life, like he would trust you to protect mine. Do you understand what that means?"

The young King just nodded, unable to speak.

"Very well, let's go back to the beach. I bet Reep is already impatient to sail on."

IOIOIOIOIO

They were halfway back, when Lucy gained Caspian's side, leaving Edmund to walk behind them.

"He actually said something true, down there, you know." Caspian frowned at her words. "You _are_ doubting yourself. Maybe you should try to understand why, mh?"

"Does Lucy have these 'bad feelings' often?" Caspian asked Edmund, as they made their way back up the cliff, looking for Eustace.

"Not really, but I've learnt to listen to her when she does."

"Why?"

"Once she told me 'I have a bad feeling about this, Edmund. You should take more guards with you'. I didn't listen to her. I dismissed it as a little sister's worry. I chose to disregard the fact that she's the bravest of us all."

"What happened?"

"My party was ambushed by Fell Beasts and I almost died."

"Hell!"

"Yep. I can assure you that I've never ignored one of Lucy's bad feelings since."

"Nor will I ever!"

"Good man."

IOIOIOIOIO

"TAKE ME BACK TO THAT BEACH!" Lucy ordered climbing down the steps of the castle at prow, her eyes still fixed on the Dragon and her brother in its claws, vanishing behind a cliff.

"Your Majesty, it's not safe!" Tried to protest a flabbergasted Drinian. He couldn't reconcile the roaring lioness in front of him with the sweet girl of before.

"Captain." She hissed, eyes burning. "You will either take me to where my King and _your King_ are on one of the boats, or I will swim there myself – don't think I won't, I learnt to swim from the Mermaids and the Eastern Sea is my rightful domain, given by Aslan Himself. Your choice. Either way, I'm going."

"How old are you, Your Highness?" He asked softly.

"Twenty-three." She answered without a pause, stalking to one of the boats.

IOIOIOIOIO

"I'm sorry, Drinian." She murmured later, while Dragon-Eustace deposited a snickering Edmund on the sand. They smiled as a quite frantic Caspian enveloped the other boy in a relieved hug.

"Don't worry about it, Queen Lucy. No offence was taken."

"Be that as it may, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It was poor form on my part."

"I understand better than you think." Lucy turned her puzzled eyes on him. Drinian smiled gently. "I have a brother, too."

"Thank you." She whispered, walking away to take her turn in hugging her brother. The Captain of the Dawn Treader sighed.

Where were they going to find enough space to transport a Dragon?


	5. On The Islands Part 2

_On Ramandu's Island._

"I think Caspian found someone more beautiful than our dear sister." Lucy sing-songed, skipping back towards Aslan's Table. "What say you, my Lord Brother?"

Edmund snorted, seeing the blush rising on Caspian's cheeks.

"I say you're a tease, my Lady Sister. But you may be onto something."

"Why do you always call each other with all these titles?" Caspian asked curiously, trying to divert the attention from himself. The Pevensies smiled knowingly.

"It started when our Master of Etiquette tried to knock into our heads the importance of using the right titles at Court." Edmund started to narrate. "It soon degenerated into a contest to see who could use the most outrageous one to make the others lose it during official events."

"Susan was horrible!" Lucy laughed. "She called us the most absurd names, with a perfectly straight face, so that if we laughed we'd look like fools."

"This one time, she called Peter 'His Most Illustrious Highness, King Peter of the North, who is the Compass that guides us during this perilous times, so that we may never waver on the Path of Truth'. The Calormene envoy was very impressed, but Peter got so red I thought his face would _explode_." Caspian smiled at his friends' helpless giggles. "Oreius looked so surprised…"

"And disgusted." Lucy added. "So Peter next time called her the 'Flower that grows in the Desert', knowing that she hates being called 'flower', since it was what most of her suitors called her, trying to woo her. But she just widened her eyes, fake tears making them impossibly sparkly, and went 'oh, brother…'" Lucy simpered, miming Susan's voice, bringing one hand to her chest and batting her eyelashes. "'One day you will make a woman so happy…' Peter wanted to kill her!"

"Why?" Caspian asked, laughing, already suspecting the answer.

"Our guests included a large group of young, unmarried, noblewomen from Archenland." Edmund answered, sending him a wicked look. "And their mothers."

Back at the table, the men looked at each other uncertainly over their food, hearing their King's uproarious laughter coming from the trees.

"Later it became more of an affectionate thing." Lucy continued. "Nowadays we use them for the most part as terms of endearment. Mostly Edmund and I. They amuse us to no end."

"And are a swift way to check on each other. If she's too out of sorts to call me by some silly title, I know I have to do something about it, and vice versa.

"I think I'm starting to understand you…"

"You're starting just now? What have you been doing this whole time?"

IOIOIOIOIO

"Wait here Gael, I'm going to check on Caspian and Edmund."

Lucy walked to the State Room, where she knew her brother and Caspian were getting ready to fight. She stopped just shy of the doorway, when she heard the young King's words,

"…know I think of you as my brother, Ed." Lucy felt tears gather in her eyes.

"Me too." Edmund answered sincerely, making her so proud. She dared a quick peek inside, just in time to see Caspian hand Edmund Peter's sword. The Lion's head on Rhindon's hilt glinted in the light.

_Aslan, Great Lion, as You love me, protect these two my brothers in this dangerous time. And know that even when my faith in myself wavered, my Faith in You was always strong._

She squared her shoulders and went inside the room, a brave smile on her lips.

"I came to help you, but I see you're all set already." Caspian looked at her questioningly, as she checked their ties and buckles. She opened her mouth to explain, but Edmund beat her to it.

"Lucy is a Shield Maiden of Narnia. It has always been tradition for her to help us into our armours. Well, when she's present." He amended. Lucy smiled softly, kissing his forehead. Then she did the same to Caspian.

"You're not wearing any armour!" He observed.

"Of course I am." He opened his mouth to protest, but Lucy put a finger on his lips. "Aslan loves me. He won't let anything happen to me."

"Yes, but I bet the armour helps."

"And that's why you need it and I don't." She laughed. Edmund shook his head. Lucy fixed suddenly serious eyes on them. They straightened reflexively. "Be strong now. You are Narnia's Kings, don't waver. Aslan knows what's in your hearts, and so do I, therefore believe in yourselves." She lay a hand above Caspian's heart. "You are worthy of what you have. Trust yourself and your men will trust you."

Caspian hugged her tightly, murmuring words of gratitude in her ear. Lucy smiled and turned back to Edmund. He clasped her right hand in his, pulling her towards himself and trapping their hands between their chests.

"You are my King, now and forever. Show me the path and I will follow you into the Dark."

"You are my Queen, now and forever. Light my way and I will know no fear, nor will I ever falter."

"May the Lion walk beside you, Brother."

"May He always keep you safe, Sister."

They left their private world, to see that Caspian was looking at them with no small amount of awe.

"I've never wished to have siblings like I do in this moment."

"But you do. You have us. Come on, Brothers! Let's go find ourselves a magic sword."

IOIOIOIOIO

_Inside Dark Island_

"You look very proud, Ed."

"That's 'cause I am. That was some speech, wasn't it?"

"It certainly was."

"Reminded me of Peter."

"Reminded _me_ of _you_."

Edmund smiled at Lucy's words, but his expression fell as the first wisps of mist enveloped the ship.

"I'm scared, Lu…" He said softly. Lucy frowned.

"Ed? What do you see in the mist?" But she didn't need an answer, because the terror in her brother's eyes spoke loudly. "Oh, Edmund… She's dead. You know that."

"Are you sure? I thought she was gone last time, too."

"I promise you, she's not here." She said vehemently, grabbing his hand in hers. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well, yes." He said, but he was smiling again, albeit a bit stiffly. Lucy slapped the back of his head.

"Not when it counts, you moron!"

IOIOIOIOIO

"_Edmund? What did you just think of?"_

Even as her brother apologised and ran to look inside the water, Lucy was watching her surroundings, sure that the White Witch would appear before long. Then the ship rocked violently and Lucy cursed her brother's vivid imagination. Not for the last time.

"A sea serpent, Ed? Really?" She scolded him, as he helped her back to her feet.

"Blame Drinian. He was the one who put the thought in my head." Lucy raised an eyebrow. Edmund huffed. "Fine! Blame my blasted imagination, if it makes you feel any better."

His sulking was interrupted by Lucy's terrified cry of "GAEL!" and he turned to see his sister run towards the serpent's head to rescue her little friend. From that moment on, things went a bit confused, as they watched Dragon-Eustace fight against the monster. They were so captivated, and proud, that nobody noticed the mad Lord Rhoop fling his sword at their cousin.

Suddenly, the serpent was upon them. Lucy grabbed Gael and ran to the main cabin, looking for Susan's bow and arrows, while the two boys jumped and weaved around the monster on the deck. As she came out and back into the fray, she saw Edmund climb on the prow and inside the wooden dragon's mouth. Her breath froze in her lungs.

"What is he doing?" She choked out.

"He's keeping the monster on the prow. We're going to ram it on the rocks." Caspian had a look of intense concentration as he steered the ship. Abruptly the serpent tried to bite away the alcove that contained her precious brother.

"NO!"

"Edmund!"

There he was, though, still in one piece and taunting the beast. Lucy set an arrow to the string and trusted her sister's Gift with her whole heart.

"Fly true." She whispered to the red-feathered arrow and let go. It flied fast, missing the serpent's tail, passing her brother and embedding itself above its eye, cutting the optic nerve.

"Brace yourselves!"

The impact sent Edmund flying and crashing hard on the ground. Lucy gasped, but before she could move, Caspian was running to his aid, grabbing one of his hands and hauling him back on his feet and… knocking him down again. Probably saving his life, too. She watched with baited breath as they spoke for a moment, then Edmund did one of his reckless acrobatics and started climbing the mast.

"Comeoncomeoncomeon…" She chanted, as the men harpooned the serpent's gruesome chest. Of Edmund, though, no trace. "Where are you, Ed? What could possibly be happening to you now?"

A blue light shone from the mast ("Eustace!" Lucy whispered.) and Edmund sank the sword into the beast's mouth, killing it.

IOIOIOIOIO

They decided to wait until morning to go to Aslan's Country, to take advantage of the sweet water to get cleaned and take care of the wounded and the rescued Narnians.

Inside Caspian's cabin, Edmund hissed sharply as Lucy took off his breastplate.

"Thank the Lion you're alive and in one piece, Edmund Pevensie." Lucy muttered, slapping his hands away and unlacing his shirt herself.

"Already did. Twice. But I will again, if it'll make you any less cross with me."

"Your charm doesn't work on me." She snapped, but she was smiling nonetheless.

"Of course it does!" He crowed, kissing her on the nose. "You know, the first time I met Mr Tumnus he told me we had the same nose."

"Really? You never told me that!"

"Well, it's not exactly a good memory… Then my nose grew and yours stayed cute as a button."

"Oh, shut up!" She laughed. "Is the pain messing with your head? Do you need the cordial?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Let Caspian use it on the more serious cases."

Lucy had him finally out of his shirts and was tending to his cuts and bruises, when Caspian and Eustace entered the room. They gasped, shocked.

"Lion's Mane, Ed!" Caspian breathed. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, come on!" Said Edmund, plaintively. "It's not so bad. I bet you have as many as me. Why are you staring? Even Lucy didn't react so strongly."

"Eddie." His sister interrupted softly, "I don't think he's talking about your bruises. I think he's talking about your scars…"

The room went suddenly tensely silent, as Lucy sighed sadly and started cleaning her brother with a wet cloth…

IOIOIOIOIO

_-Three years back, by Narnia's reckoning. Before the raid to Miraz's castle.-_

"_Lucy? It's time."_

"_I don't like this Edmund. I have a bad feeling about it."_

"_I was afraid you'd say that." He sighed, going to sit next to her. "I'll keep them safe, I promise."_

"_I want you to be safe, too. Don't come back with more scars to add to your collection, Ed."_

"_They don't matter. They tell a story. I'm proud of each one – one more than the others…"_

"_Please, Edmund." She begged, suddenly tearful. "Come back to me in one piece. Please."_

"_Have I ever not?" He asked, holding her tight to his chest._

"_Once would be enough. I don't want to lose you."_

"_I will always come back to you. _Always._ No matter what. Maybe with a couple scars more, but I'll be back, okay?"_

"_Okay… Will you say it?" Edmund smiled at her and recited her favourite verses:_

"'_You are the town and we are the clock._

_We are the guardians of the gate in the rock._

_The Two._

_On your left and on your right_

_In the day and in the night,_

_We are watching you.'"_

"_Thank you, Ed." She sighed, calm once again._

"_You're welcome. We'll save the rest for later."_

"_Walk with Aslan, Brother."_

"_I shall. Now come send the party off."_

IOIOIOIOIO

Lucy's memory was interrupted by the sound of Caspian's armour being dropped on the table. She jumped, startled.

"Sorry." He muttered, sullen. Edmund sighed.

"Caspian." He called in a steady voice, touching a scar near his elbow. "They don't matter."

"I'd hardly say so! It looks like you have the body of a boy and the skin of an old warrior!"

"Well, I wouldn't say old, but that's it in a nutshell."

Lucy decided to put them out of their misery: "When we go home, we go back to being exactly how we were before we left, but for the scars. Those we are allowed to keep."

"_Allowed_?" Caspian and Eustace looked incredulous.

"Let me show you." Edmund said, motioning for them to get closer. He pointed to a uneven scar on his left shoulder. "This one I got saving Peter from a Hag. This one," he pointed to the one on his arm he was touching earlier, "fighting your uncle's men. This," left hip, "on the rocks of Cair Paravel's beach, diving after Susan when she fell in the water during a storm. It was silly, since she can swim better than me. This one on my shoulder blade? I was stabbed whilst shielding Lucy from a bandit."

"Unnecessary." Lucy muttered. Edmund ignored her.

"This one though. This one I'm most proud of." He touched the smooth and shiny scar tissue on his abdomen. "This is where the White Witch stabbed me, after I smashed her wand."

Lucy ghosted her fingertips over the exit wound on his back. Edmund grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"They are part of my history. They remind me of who I am when I'm afraid I'll forget. Back in England, the memories aren't as sharp as they are here. You'll see Eustace. That's why it's so important for us to talk about Narnia. The scars are just a visual aid."

"What about you, Lucy?"

"I have my own." She answered simply, touching her ribs absent-mindedly.

While the other two looked for clean clothes to change into, Edmund put on his shirt and turned to face Lucy.

"What's the matter, Lu? I thought you would be happier we won."

"We're not going to stay much longer, are we?"

"I don't think so. No."

"Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to have nightmares."

"Of course. Now go make yourself presentable. Gael will want you to meet her mum."

"I miss mum…"

"Me too, Lucy."

"Will you say it, Ed?"

"Of course. May I ask why you like this poem so much?"

"I don't know. It gives me focus. It reminds me of what we were. Of what we could be again. Of something scary…"

"'You are the town and we are the clock…'"


	6. Epilogue

Edmund found Lucy and Eustace in the backyard of Aunt Alberta's house, lying on the grass, in the shadow cast by the building. Eustace had his head on Lucy's shoulder and looked to be finally asleep – the previous night he had resisted sleep, fearing that, in the light of the morning, their adventures in Narnia would be nothing but a dream. It had taken both Edmund's promises that it had all been real and Lucy's pleading, to eventually convince him to lie down. He looked to have finally succumbed to his need to slumber.

Edmund approached them silently, catching the light reflected in the tears running down Lucy's temples. He felt his heart break. The prospect of never returning home, to Narnia, of never seeing Aslan again… it hurt. More than for himself, though, Edmund suffered for his sister, because she was the one who felt their connection to Aslan and Narnia the strongest.

He slowly disentangled his cousin from around her, being careful not to wake him when he laid his head gently on the ground, then he sat on the other side from him and gathered Lucy in his lap, clutching her to himself in a tight hug. Lucy, who had been perfectly silent until that moment, not wanting to disturb the sleeping boy, started crying in earnest. Edmund, at a loss for words, smoothed his hands down her back, murmuring nonsense softly in her ear. After what felt like hours, Lucy seemed to calm down.

"How can they stand it?" She asked desperately, voice made hoarse by her tears. Edmund knew she was talking about their siblings. He had no answer, unfortunately. Being back had apparently smothered his maturity again – gone was the orator, the poet who could work magic with his words. In his place was Edmund Pevensie, from Finchley, twelve years of age, shy and eager to grow up, to be like his older brother. This Edmund was no king. The first few days back were always the most difficult – their brain strained to force them to adapt to their England selves. The memories would be much more clearer in a week; their Narnian persona blending in again. He usually spent those first days unconsciously touching his scars, making sure they were still real. He had caught Lucy doing the same, a couple of times. How was he supposed to comfort her – to give her a satisfying answer – when he was struggling just as much as her?

In a week's time, he would be able to tell her that just because they weren't able to go back, it didn't mean Aslan loved them any less. And wasn't it kind of a new adventure – looking for Him in this world that appeared to be so void of Magic? They would find him, Edmund knew that she had faith, and they had Peter and Susan to help them, didn't they?

"We'll find a way." He eventually forced out. "Together."

The prospect of not having to go through the pain on her own seemed to calm his sister down, if only a little. Over her shoulder, Edmund spied Eustace waking up, assessing the situation with a glance, and leaving them alone with a sad smile. If nothing else, that alone showed Edmund how much his cousin had changed. Nothing like being Dragoned, it looked like!

Edmund rocked Lucy gently, telling her stories and jokes, promising to never leave her, long after dark fell and Aunt Alberta hollered for them to retire. When she finally fell asleep, he carried her upstairs (marvelling at how much strength he seemed to have) and laid her in his own bed, curling around her and falling asleep immediately.

From the other side of the room, Eustace looked at his cousins, his Family, these King and Queen of Old, looking like kittens among the covers. He smiled softly, switching off the light and letting himself succumb to sleep, dreaming of a gleaming sea and a mighty Mouse…

IOIOIOIOIO

A.N.: This is the end. Thank you for reading and for leaving me all those wonderful reviews. I'll get to them as soon as I can, promise. The poem in the previous chapter was "the Two" by W.H. Auden. Its use will be made manifest in my next story...


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